1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a filter device with a snap together housing. More particularly, the present invention is drawn to a housing for a biological fluid filter, preferably for the filtration of blood leukocytes.
Known filters for blood filtration systems utilize a variety of filter media depending on the application desired. Because of the biological nature of the material being filtered, it is required that the filter housing be hermetically sealed to prevent leakage from the filter, or contamination of material within the filter housing. Typically the filter housing is sealed by methods such as sonic welding, heat treatment or by adhesive compounds.
These known methods of sealing the filter housings all have significant disadvantages. In the case of heat treatment or sonic welding, some filter media may be susceptible to damage by the application of such high-energy methods of sealing to the filter housings. For example, glass based filtration media are not suitable for use when the housing is to be sonically welded, as the media may be damaged in the process. Adhesives can have the drawback of potential contamination of the filter media by components from the adhesive, which may be leeched into the interior of-the housing. Additionally, with these methods it is difficult to insure that the entire periphery of the filter housing is hermetically sealed, e.g. gaps in the adhesive or failures of sections of the sonic weld. Additionally, these forms of sealing prevent the housing from being easily disassembled in the future, as they are in essence “permanent” bonds.
The housing of the present invention is designed as a multi-piece unit, with two main sections. The main sections of the housing can be easily snapped together, around a filter media, to form the outer housing for the filter media. Various methods (such as an o-ring, or other sealing structure) can be applied to seal the filter housing.